RETROGRADE — JOINER

[LEVIATHAN]

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LEVIATHAN

[ diamond in the rough ]

Silence. There was a silence that he had sunken into when he had left everything he had ever loved and cared for, his grip on what he held close crumbling. Now here he was. Alone. In a silence that was suffocating him, one that roared louder than any other kind of blaring noises that nature could produce. Yet, Leviathan refused to go anywhere near the life he had once had. One filled with so much...emotion. It had been exhausting and drained him but...he had felt alive. He felt like he was able to see into a future with unclouded eyes but now all he saw was mist and fog about his future. He knew it was unpredictable on what was ever going to happen, life had it's way of being a trickster when one believed they were safe and sound. Just the thought of him becoming attached caused a wretched twist to his heart, his organ suddenly tensing as he trekked through the edges of the mountain he had climbed during his pointless wandering, his jet black paws softly sinking into the dirt that had melted into disgusting ass mud due to the rain that was now pouring down at him.

As the heavens cries, Levi was forced into seeking shelter a little too soon than he expected. He had been heading anywhere there was a decent pathway — his distaste for getting dirty always controlling him — causing him to stumble into territories that belonged to others. Some had been welcoming, others not so much and he had fresh scars hidden beneath the rich forest green cloak he wore over his muscular form as the former prince sucked in a small breath of the heavy air, his half-lidded steel gaze locked down onto a rather large outline that he managed to spot through the downpour of rain. A town? Abandoned? He doubted it but Levi didn't dwell too much into the options, clinging to the hope that he was able to at least find a place warm and dry. So, through the rain and fog that danced and crashed around him, the short feline began to descend from his path with his cloak softly joined in the dancing as the wind picked up, almost causing his hood to push back. Levi quickly reached a paw out to grip the hood and keep it up but the wet ground beneath him had different plans.

[b]S-Shit!" The foul hiss snapped out of his surprised form as the vampire's grip on the earth beneath him was lost and he slid down awkwardly, his claws unsheathing to find at least some sort of a grip. The slight stumble did not heed to Levi's wishes and only increased the momentum as his claws sunk into nothing secure as he began to roll down the slope of the mountain. His cloak blinded him by slapping him on the face, his visibility now not being able to see what the fuck was going on until a loud grunt erupted from his throat as he felt his body slam into a sharp object. The collide had caused him to finally stop rolling like an idiot but the pain that now electrified him was a result of the impact. The breath in his lungs had been knocked out of him and the male remained still on the ground for a few lingering moments, trying to collect his thoughts. His name was Levi. He had grown up in a landfill. Escaped. Met a new group. Grew close. Fell in love. Lost everything. He was a wandering idiot. He briefly closed his eyes, tired and frustrated even if it was just the beginning of a new day.

One. Two. Three. After those minutes trickled away like the crystalline droplets of rain that rolled down his cloak, the male heaved himself to his full standing form — though it wasn't much due to his lack of height. The throbbing pain that thumped softly within the center of his back didn't really matter as he knew it wasn't an injury that had caused damaged so he was able to move forward. The frustration that boiled within him, however, was how fucking disgusting he was right now. His spiky obsidian colored fur was now licked with mud and rain despite his attempts to remain clean. His pale salmon pink tongue traced over his muzzle to spit out any soaked dirt that had decided to splash against his face as the japanese bobtail locked his attentive cold gaze onto the town that was edged alongside water. It reminded him of a part of his old home, the memory of laughter and parties flashing within his mind and causing his scowl to deepen. His mind was now plagued with the horrible homesickness and nostalgia that ripped through his concentration as he stood in the rain, sinking into an abyss that he was too familiar with.

So he stood there. Waiting in the godforsaken rain.

For a sign if he should turn around and leave.

Or try and see if he deserved a new home.

© LEXASPERATED

[buckingham barnes]

Despite the downpour weather, and the slight rocking of his home, Buckingham still made his way out into the territory. It didn't take Buckingham very long for his fur to get soaked, but he didn't mind. Bucky loved the smell of rain, and the sound of rain droplets on the ground, leaves, and trees is just satisfying to his ears. Unless he saw lightning, it was all game for the maine coon. If he sees any lightning, without a doubt he'll be quickly heading inside- his metal prosthetic will probably get him killed during a thunderstorm.

Buckingham wasn't planning to head towards the mountain with the current downpour. He knew that he probably shouldn't be out here(and yet, here he is), and that there could be flash floods in mountains, or worse. But thanks to his enhanced senses, his ears pricked up at the sound of a foul hiss, that eerily sounded familiar. Wait a minute, who is that? He thought to himself, as he ran through the memories lodged in his head, trying to get that name off of his tongue. I know that voice! Come on, think of their name! He thought with a shake of his head, deciding to make his way over to them while simultaneously trying to remember their name.

Bucky found himself padding towards the mountain, his light blue gaze landing on an obsidian figure in the distance. His eyes narrowed slightly at the figure, slowly making his way over with his light cream paws. It can't be him, He thought as that figure became more recognizable and realistic, that can't be Levi!

Levi and Bucky knew each other. They weren't exactly buddies- they were probably the exact opposite, enemies. Bucky and Levi used to live in the same home, but not for a long time. Bucky was quickly taken by their enemy and brainwashed, and turned into a living, breathing weapon. While he was an asset, he shattered any hopes of friendship and loyalty with the Japanese bobtail. Bucky then made the smart decision to stay in the group that wronged him, when he should have went running back to his old home. He just felt too guilty to go back, and there was even more guilt now- Sunhaven reminds him of his first home.

And Levi just had to show up.

The male couldn't help it but snicker ever so slightly at the mud and sticks in Levi's fur- it seemed like Levi had a nice trip down the mountain. He knew that Levi was a clean freak, the small male was probably pissed with his appearance.

But his snickering didn't last for long as he finally got up close to the former prince. Instead, his face was almost blank with emotion- the former assassin was no longer snickering. Only his eyes gleamed with emotion, specifically curiosity and aggravation. He was curious how Levi ended up here, but also aggravated that the former prince managed to get all the way here. What happens if Levi wants to stay, even after acknowledging his presence here? They'll be clanmates again, and that will be insane to believe.

"What the fuck are you doing out here, Levi? Looks like you ruined your fur and your green cloak," He commented to the male, ears flattening to his skull as rain continued to soak his fur.

[Mama]

[align=center][div style="width:400px; font-size:8.4pt;line-height:1.1;color:#000;font-family:arial;margin-top:3px;margin-bottom:3px;letter-spacing:0px;margin-left:0px;text-align:justify;"]The pain of lose, a heart left bare and open in a moment of simple want and care torn apart with little thought to what might come next, so many seemed to have felt such a sensation. Picking up the pieces once it was all done, forced to reconcile or risk the lose of so much more, hurt just as much. What was there left to do when all you had was the shattered fragments of a heart another rejected, though little of or simply left, little more than a pale ghost haunting disjointed memory you attempt to stitch back together. It did not matter what was beyond the moment when you were simply stuck, left to watch it crumble into ash about you, a lesson learnt the hard way each time, but on you must push.

Ishayu had felt that pain, allowed her heart to be laid bare before another only for her to be torn from her grasp, left alone as the woman she had so desperately loved had been smeared across the sand. It had taken a great deal of time for the pain to fade, to pick up the lingering fragments of her life she was allowed to hold onto, but she had done just that. This place had become a home to her in ways she never dared to hope, yet something was there, a lingering sense she didn't belong.

Heavy was the smell of rain about her forge, mixing with the tang of metal grown heated within the flames, a thing she found oddly comforting. There had been little in way of rain in the desert, what there was nothing more than sparse showers quick to end and be soaked up by the sand, here it went on, lingering about the edges as though it never sought to let go. She had left for her workspace well before it had begun and had been kept within for it seemed the rain had set in for the day, something the serval was fine with for her work was more important than trivial tasks awaiting her at home.

It was not the sound of the rather graceless fall nor the sound produced from it but a voice, raising about her and filling the space, confusion twisting stark features. She had been Bucky about but never within the mountains, he seemed less prone to wandering as some others were, his presence so close enough to force her to put aside her tools. Stepping closer to the entrance she peered through the sheet of rain, a soft sound escaping her as she found the other, standing with what seemed a stranger covered in mud, unsure if she should approach.

Familiarity was within those words, a name shared so easily speaking of past interaction, and so she hung back for now, though Ishayu took a few steps out into the rain, there only if this Levi decided it was a better idea to be aggressive than calming address the situation playing out before him.